Yi Li Photography | Seattle Family, Child & Baby Photographer

May Letters to Our Children {personal projects}

Yi Li Photography — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:57:03 +0000

I’m participating in a “Letters to our Children” blog circle with a fantastic group of photographer mothers. Each month we write a letter to one of our children, accompanied by our photography. At the end of each letter, you will find a link to connect you to another member in the circle, which you can follow around until you make it back here. This month I’m writing to all 3 of my children.

Dear Avery, Morgan & Bennett,

Hi guys. It’s Mama. We have a lot of changes in our house this month! I can hardly believe that my 6+ month maternity leave is over and I’ve returned to work. You see, before I became a photographer and your mother, I had another job. One that I actually really like on most days of the week. It’s a job that I went to school for many years for, and in fact, your father and I met when we were both in graduate school. I get to help people who really need help being healthier or feeling better. This brings me joy and makes me feel useful. This may come as a surprise to you (or not), but I have never desired to be a stay-at-home mom. One reason is that the concept is pretty foreign to me. Growing up, everyone I knew had two parents who both worked. I literally knew no one with a stay-at-home parent. So I always imagined that I would grow up, go to college, and get a job. It wasn’t until I was college-aged that I met friends who had stay-at-home parents (mostly moms). This really blew my mind!!!

Anyway, I’m so thankful that I have a career and job (in addition to photography!) that I find fulfilling and rewarding. It’s what I did for many years before you guys were born, and it’s what I plan to do even after you leave the house for college. I’m also super thankful that this job allowed me to have nice long maternity leaves with all of you. I’m so thankful for the time we had together while you guys were so little. And while change can be hard on everyone, I don’t wish that I could stay home forever.

What I’m really so thankful for is that I have a choice. I’m not choosing work over you guys. I’m choosing to return to work because I believe it makes me the best mom I can be to the three of you. I really love you guys, but honestly, I think I’d be yelling my bloody head off waaaay too much if I was home all the time.

My wish for the three of you is that you work hard in school and in life so that you will have every opportunity available to you, whether it is to have a busy career or to stay at home with your kids. Get to know yourself and what will make you happy (it’s taken me years), be true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to make those tough choices to do what’s right for you and your family.

Love you lots,

Mama

Now head over to my friend Kristy Dooley’s blog to read her letter to her sweet little girl this month. Follow the circle until you end up back here!

joyce + jason {Seattle Waterfront engagement session}

Yi Li Photography — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:03:02 +0000

I had so much fun photographing Joyce + Jason’s engagement session. They are tying the knot this summer in Seattle. The bride contacted me and wanted to have some engagement photos done because she said they just don’t have a lot of nice pictures of the two of them. She’s planning to use the photos to create a personalized guest book, or perhaps will use the large wall portrait that they ordered as an alternative form of a guest book by having her friends and family write messages on a mat before framing it all together. When you purchase all of your digital files from your session, the possibilities are endless!

We settled on the Seattle Waterfront for our setting, as they felt more at-home in an urban setting as opposed to a more naturey setting like tall grass or the beach. I had so much fun with the variety of backdrops available in just a small radius along the pier. We had gorgeous sunshine that day with some fantastic cloud patterns in the sky.

I’m so excited for Joyce + Jason as they embark on the journey of marriage together. CONGRATS, you guys!!!

Celebrating Mom

Yi Li Photography — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:13:57 +0000

April Letters to our Children {personal projects}

Yi Li Photography — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 06:24:13 +0000

Dear Avery,

What a crazy week we’ve had. This month, I’m sharing just one photo. I’ve been carrying it around with me in my heart since I snapped it with my iPhone on Tuesday. This photo makes my heart hurt. I can barely put in to words the emotions I feel when I look at it.

Your baby brother had just come home from an overnight stay at the hospital that had all of us quite worried. Baba was changing Bennett’s diaper and he was fussing a bit. You came over carrying your step stool and asked if you could come see what was going on with Bennett. You placed your step stool right next to the changing table and climbed up. Then you placed you hand on Bennett’s head and started talking to him and comforting him. Such a sweet and tender moment that is the perfect picture of you as a big sis.

At your tender age of 3 years old, you have a heart full of love and compassion. It’s so silly to me to think I spent all those months during my pregnancy worrying about how you would adjust to having the babies join our family. You have exceeded every single expectation I had of you becoming a big sister. Bennett & Morgan are so lucky to have you in their lives. You are the best big sister anyone could ask for. In fact, just yesterday you said to me again, “Maybe you should move my carseat into the middle so that I can take care of Morgie and Bennie.”

I’m so glad that Bennie & Morgie have such a kind-hearted big sister to look after them and to look up to. Being a big sis can be a big responsibility, but I know you’re up to the challenge. I hope you stay just the way you are: kind, caring and loving, funny and silly. I hope you always have a good relationship with your brother and sister. I love you so much, my big girl.

Love,

Mama

Photography notes: iPhone5, processed with Afterlight

Now please head over to Allyson Snowden’s blog to read her sweet letter to her son & daughter.

Becoming a big brother {Bellevue newborn photographer, big brother photos}

Yi Li Photography — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:43:17 +0000

I’m happy to introduce you to baby Ethan, one of the sweetest, sleepiest babies I have ever met. I had the pleasure of shooting a lifestyle newborn session in their home in February. Ethan has a super awesome and energetic big brother who is such a little ham, but also the sweetest guy with his new little bro. There’s so much change that happens with adding a new sibling to the household, and he seemed to be adjusting really nicely. A lifestyle newborn session is a great way to celebrate the birth of a new baby, but also the momentous occasion of your first-born child becoming an older brother/sister. Big brother was really excited to show me all around the house, including his baseball stuff, his lego collection, and his bunk bed. I can’t wait to watch them grow up and develop that special brotherly bond. You can already tell he has such a sweet relationship with his mom and dad.

Just a few of my favorites from their session…

March Letters to our Children {personal projects}

Yi Li Photography — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:51:41 +0000

Wow, I really can’t believe we are almost through one-fourth of 2013! It’s time for the March installment of the Letters to our Children blog circle. I’m really enjoying getting to know all of the other women in this fabulous group, and their sweet children. Because we’re doing this as a group, we have a publish deadline every month, and that can make me feel like it’s a burden and another “thing” to get done in my already sleep-deprived state. But once I get into my zen place and start writing, it’s probably no surprise that this is the most personally rewarding blog post that I write each month. If you missed January and February, check out Pumpkin’s letter here and Morgie’s letter here. This month it’s time for a letter to my youngest. My third. My only son. Meet my sweet little guy Mr. Bennett.

Dear Mr. Bennett,

Hi Big Guy. It’s mama. It’s been so so fun getting to know you over the past almost 5 months since you and Morgie were born. You two are so different, it’s amazing. You’re my mover and shaker. You’re always on the go, wiggling around, pushing with your legs, kicking and rolling. You’re all BOY! Your most favorite playtime activity is to lie on your back and play with your animals hanging from your play gym. It’s fun watching you swing your arms at them, grab them, and smile and laugh. You’ve gotten pretty good at tummy time and proficient at rolling. I can see that you’re going to always be full of energy, and hopefully Morgie and Avery will be able to keep up with you!

Another distinct thing about you? You’re ruled by your tummy. It’s like you have a little internal alarm clock that goes off (usually every 3 hours) and wakes you up to eat. I don’t mind, really. I love our nursing snuggle time. But I was really surprised yesterday when you napped for over 2 hours, making it more than 4 hours between 2 feedings! I can already predict that you’re going to LOVE eating solids soon.

Speaking of sleep, oh Bennie, what a good little sleeper you are! Amazing, really. You put yourself to sleep for naps with barely any rocking or bouncing on the ball. All you need is your pacifier, and you usually put yourself to sleep quickly and without a fuss. Such a godsend for mommy!!!!!!!! especially since your sister is the exact opposite. I hope you continue to enjoy sleep as much as I do.

In the last month, you have become quite the little social butterfly. Initially, Morgie was talking and chatting and smiling more than you. You couldn’t be bothered; you were so busy trying to get MOVING. But now you are quite the little flirty guy, always smiling, laughing, cooing, and chatting away. It’s so precious. I can tell you have a sensitive side to you. Grandma calls you tender-hearted, and I think she’s right. You can sense if Morgan is upset, and it kind of gets you upset too. I hope you always stay that way, sensitive to the feelings and needs of others, and not afraid or self-conscious to express your own emotions.

And finally, I’m so thankful for you because you’ve given me a gift of remembrance of my father. Everyone says you look exactly like him, and I have to agree. Every day I look at you and I’m reminded of my father. I can hardly type this without getting all choked up and teary-eyed. You’re a little piece of his legacy. There are things I have not been so good at but want to be better at. Make time to spend time with those you love, no matter the distance. Be present. Live each day to the fullest. The absence of my father and the presence of you make me think of these things often.

I love you so much, my sweet guy. I’m so thankful to be your mom. And don’t worry about your balding head. It’ll grow back; I’m sure of it!

Always,

Mama

Now head on over to Jessica Thomason’s blog to read her letter to her daughter. Join me again in April when I write letter #2 to my oldest daughter.

The fastest year of your life {Seattle baby photographer}

Yi Li Photography — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:49:21 +0000

Ask any parent and they’ll probably agree. The fastest (and most exhausting) year of your life is your baby’s first year. And if you’re blessed to have more than one child, well, you get it more than once. It’s so nice for me to photograph babies multiple times during their first year of life, because they change so much in such a short period of time.

You may recall I photographed baby Jae’s birth during the summer, and she is already 7 months old. I really love this age because the babies are so expressive with their facial expressions and hands, not to mention those big smiles. And they have a special bond with their big people. I also got to photograph baby Jae’s with her two grandmas. One is local and one flew in from the East Coast for an extended visit. I know firsthand that grandparents are soooo special and important in the life of young families. I’m so glad Jae has two awesome grandmas!

I really love this family because first of all, I am so happy to call them friends. When I embarked on my photography journey, they graciously helped me build my portfolio. And today they continue to hire me as their family photographer. What a blessing. I’m so glad I was able to capture this special age of their baby girl who is growing up oh so fast.

February Letters to our Daughters {personal projects}

Yi Li Photography — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 02:25:38 +0000

Welcome to the February installment of our “Letters to our Children” blog circle! If you missed my January letter to Pumpkin, check it out here. When I originally started this project, I planned to write all the letters to my oldest daughter Avery. After all, she’s talking and everything, so I figured I’d have the most to say to her. I wasn’t quite sure I’d have much to write to the babies. But being the youngest of 3 children, I understand that photo albums and other “mom projects” seem to decrease as the number of children increases. There are few photos from my baby years, and most of them are Polaroids! I don’t want Morgan and Bennett to feel shafted later when they grow up! My Letters project will therefore be equal opportunity, so meet my sweet daughter Morgan.

Dear Morgan,

“Oh Morgie!!!” I can just hear your big sister exclaiming this to you as she’s trying to calm you down from crying. What a sweet baby girl you are, and already so full of personality at 4 months of age. In the hospital, you were the baby that always wanted to be held. So different from your brother, who would just eat then be content to be put back down in the bassinet. Before Baba {dad in Chinese} and I could distinguish your sounds from Bennett’s, we’d hear one of you cry and I’d ask him, “Is it Morgan?” and he would say, “It’s always Morgan.”

You do things in your own time, as if to say, “Don’t rush me, mama.” Prime example, how it only took you ELEVEN WEEKS to decide to start breastfeeding!!!!!!!! I’m not sure why you didn’t want to nurse in the beginning, but I’m so glad it worked out. Now I so appreciate all the nursing snuggles we get, because I really missed them during the early days. Things were so busy with pumping, nursing your brother, then Baba feeding you a bottle. I remember feeling like there were some days when I barely held you at all. I’ll try to remember to give you the time and space you need to thrive in the future.

You are my little thinker. I love how you are so observant and social! I see you always looking all around, and you are often in a quiet alert phase, just taking it all in. You are also such a little talker, making all of these really cute baby cooing sounds. You started making vocalizations and also smiled earlier than Bennett and your big sis. I think you’re going to be an early talker. I love having our little “conversations” back and forth. They are easily the highlight of my day.

And I won’t forget to mention how delightfully patient you are. Most of the time you are the second baby to eat, and most of the time you are just fine with that. Your brother is always hungry and must be fed as.soon.as.he.wakes.up and you don’t really mind that about him. I really appreciate that about you.

Sometimes I worry about you because you just seem more fragile than your brother. You sleep a bit more than he does at night (again, because he’s always.hungry) and I worry if you get one less feeding than he does. Already he feels quite a bit heavier than you. But then you get upset at something and scream your bloody head off, and I’m reminded that you are indeed no shrinking wallflower. You’ll let us know if you’re upset or need something. I hope you stay that way, and grow up to be a strong, confident girl. Your dad and I already love you so very much; you have such a colorful personality! I am looking forward to getting to know you more as you grow up!

Always,

Mama

Now please follow our blog circle to my fellow Seattle mama Davina Gruenstein. Davina is a super talented hobbyist photographer who is beautifully documenting the life of her sweet family. Although we haven’t met in real life yet, I already feel like I know her and I’m happy to call her a friend!

Welcome to your forever home, Baby Carson! {Seattle lifestyle newborn photographer}

Yi Li Photography — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:46:53 +0000

My first newborn of 2013 and my first session since the birth of my twins was this sweet, sleepy guy who came home to his forever family last month. He actually arrived about 4 weeks early, but his mama said that in such a short time, they already can’t imagine their lives without him! Big brother is still getting used to his new little bro, but I have a feeling that they’re going to grow up to be best buddies.

This session was such a pleasure for me to shoot. It’s what photographers call a “lifestyle” session, which is a fancy way to describe me capturing you and your family in your natural habitat (your home), just being yourselves. More photojournalistic or documentary in nature, if you will. There is no posing of baby in baskets or buckets! While adorable, I find that a lifestyle baby session is more true to my style. I love that I’m able to capture baby in the arms of mom or dad, and the wonder on everyone’s face as they marvel over the new addition. After all, it’s all about the relationships in a family, and creating a visual record of these early days after a new baby joins the clan.

Welcome home, Baby Carson, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a special time in your lives!

The unconventional self-portrait {personal project}

Yi Li Photography — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:49:57 +0000

As an artist, I’m learning to appreciate the importance of pursuing personal projects in addition to doing client work. Shooting for myself keeps me disciplined and keeps the creative juices flowing. It also brings me back to the reason I love photography. For 2013, I’ve committed to three different personal projects. I introduced the first project last month — the monthly Letters to our Children blog circle that I’m participating in. The other two projects I’m doing this year are a monthly self-portrait, and a monthly family portrait (of me & my family, with me in the photo!).

I’m so excited to announce that my January self-portrait was selected to be featured on the Clickin Moms blog, alongside a handful of self-portraits from a bunch of incredibly talented women. We were each awarded the Editors’ Choice award for Creative Excellence. You can check out the blog post here.

It’s funny because I wasn’t informed by Clickin Moms that my photo was selected for their blog. I found out about it when my friend posted in a Facebook group to announce that 3 of us gals from Seattle were featured on the blog! Then a few hours later, I learned that Clickin Moms had shared my photo on their Facebook page to promote the blog post. That’s when the real fun began! Since Clickin Moms has over 145,000 followers on Facebook, my photo was seen by a lot of people. All told, it received over 1,300 likes, 160 comments, and was shared 100 times.

I’m so completely humbled by the responses my photo received. These are words that were used to describe my photo:

Beautiful. Powerful. Inspiring. ”For once, a REAL photo!”

“Another twin mom here. I had my boys 2 months ago and struggle with my appearance now. This photo is beautiful and really puts things into perspective.”

And this, from fellow photographer Katrina Gotschall who I so respect & admire, “A true testament to what a mother goes through for the love of her children. We tattoo our bodies to illustrate our personalities, and yet so many are ashamed by the tattoos that organically illustrate our journey to motherhood. Thank you for being so brave and showing us how beautiful those natural tattoos are. They tell a story we should all be proud of.”

My photo is entitled “Worth the stretch marks”. When I came up with the concept for the photo, I really just wanted to tell the tale of being a mom of multiples. To show my stretch marks, and have the babies in the photo with me as an explanation for the stretch marks. To show the change in my body but also the sweet and priceless treasure that are my twins. Somehow not including my face made it easier to bare my skin. If you read the blog post, it mentions chopping off your head as one way to make a self-portrait “unconventional”. While I never intended for anyone beyond the CM forum to see the photo, and certainly not anyone I know in real life, I’m so glad that the photo helped some women see their body in a different light. And I learned that there is another term for stretch marks — tiger stripes! I feel so blessed everyday to have these kids in my life, and so proud to be a tiger mama who earned her stripes.